Category: PCMN posts
“Holy Crap, Look at All That Poop!”
Dave DeGroot and Dan Collins (both Cohort 2) recently investigated a huge “puma latrine” in relatively flat desert terrain northwest of Tucson. Dave says that when he first discovered almost 2,000 large pieces of scat in the main and adjoining areas measuring about 50 square yards, he was amazed… Continue Reading ““Holy Crap, Look at All That Poop!””
Creosote Connoisseurs
By Dave DeGroot, Cohort 2 Creosote bushes are so common in Pima County that we hardly give them a second thought. Many desert animals, however, give the creosote a second and third thought – some depend on the bush for their existence. Animals with… Continue Reading “Creosote Connoisseurs”
Birth of a Bio-Blitz…it all started with two guys walking around in the desert
By Dave DeGroot, Cohort 2 For the Pima County Master Naturalists newsletterDuring the lockdown in 2020, I came across a big piece ofdesert northwest of Tucson called the Tortolita Preserve. It is being fenced off by the Town of Marana, with recreational use mostly… Continue Reading “Birth of a Bio-Blitz…it all started with two guys walking around in the desert”
Prepare For Take off
By Dave DeGroot, Cohort 2 Dozens of species of sphinx moths – some of the largest moths in the world – work the “night shift” during Pima County’s monsoon season. Unfurling their long proboscises, they zero in on the nectar offered by pale flowers such as sacred thornapple Datura, Jimson weed, evening primrose, honeysuckle, different kinds of… Continue Reading “Prepare For Take off”
What To Do When You Get Stuck
Metaphorically or Very Literally We all sometimes find ourselves in a situation where we just feel stuck. In relation to volunteer work, sometimes we might feel stuck with feeling overwhelmed that there is too much to learn or do or fix. We might feel… Continue Reading “What To Do When You Get Stuck”
A True Bear Wallow
By Franklin Lane and Deborah Huie One of the most overlooked sky islands in the Pimería Alta is the Whetstones. While many people have visited Kartchner Caverns on the eastern slopes few have explored beyond that. Just south of the entrance to Kartchner is an… Continue Reading “A True Bear Wallow”
2021 Monsoons!
Flash floods, torrential rain, severe thunderstorms, high winds. Who would’ve thought that these words could describe one of our seasons of summer here in the Sonoran Desert Climate! The Sonoran Desert can be described as having 5 different seasons; Spring, Dry Season of Summer,… Continue Reading “2021 Monsoons!”
My Experience Becoming a Master Naturalist
By Paula Redinger, Cohort 5 Pima Master Naturalist Last month, a small brown envelope appeared in my mailbox. I knew exactly what was inside: something I’d been working towards since mid-January. After a triumphal Facebook post and associated comment flurry, I thought more quietly… Continue Reading “My Experience Becoming a Master Naturalist”
The YETMAN Trail
What may be the first in-person gathering of Pima County Master Naturalists (PCMN) since we started Zooming our Board Meetings back in March of 2020 took place in the Tucson Mountains on Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Six MNs and a family member initiated the… Continue Reading “The YETMAN Trail”
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